Solar panel for 2 X 110 Gel Batteries recommendation please.

[DL42846]

I have just fitted 2 x 110 amp Gel batteries. I have what appears to be a 75w Solar panel. I presume I'm going to have to upgrade the solar panel to cope with the increase, or do I?
I was thinking of fitting a 150 w which will give me 225w solar panel.
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
We normally are wild camping without EHU. Not really heavy users of power. LED lights, Satellite TV and the Truma heating during the winter months. We live in France so get more sunshine than in the UK.

 

[Pausim]

Some say you can never have too much solar, though obviously space, weight and cost come into it. I think the answer depends on how much electricity you expect to use. If all you power is a few led lights and the water pump then a small panel might do. If you are running an inverter, hairdryer, microwave oven and watch tv for hours on end the answer would be very different.

 

[Lenny HB]

Fit as much solar as you can get on the roof and don't forget to fit a decent MPPT regulator that has a proper absorption phase for gel batteries such as the Votronic or Victron ones.

 

[two]

Your batteries are there to provide power whilst no other source is available. The larger your batteries, the longer you can go without alternative sources. The amount of solar power required should be related to your normal consumption rather than the size of the batteries. You may find that your solar collection is still good enough to cope with your daily demands. Bigger batteries give you a better chance of surviving a string of dull days. The only harm you’d do is to your wallet and payload, so I’d wait and see.

Battery capacity is a bit like the size of your water tank. You only need to carry enough until the next fill-up. Carrying more is less worry but you need to find the right balance. You don't always fill your tank full (unless it's tiny).

 

[TheBig1]

on average a rule of thumb is 100w of solar per 100ah of batteries. dont forget the starter battery too

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[tacr2man]

The more solar the better , as long as you have the minimum battery capacity you need to last the number of days without solar or other charging that you need . "Excess solar" allows you to get the charge you need in quicker , in cases where you have a lot less "Sun " times . JMHO

 

[two]

Why the rush (to top up with solar)? The bigger the batteries, the longer you have to let it trickle back in. That's why I say the solar supply ought to be tied to consumption rather than storage capacity. More panels won't harm the situation but the aim should be not to allow the batteries to get too low rather than keep them full to the brim. The money spent on extra panels could go on something else more useful (like Gin) and you might never know the difference.

 

[Minxy]

The batteries are just storing your energy until you need to use it, if you don't need much then it will last a long time and your solar panel will help to top them up so you may find your existing one is sufficient for your needs, however if you use find that you are discharging your batteries too low, too often, then additional solar will help to top them up more quickly so long as you don't get cr@p weather! It also depends on how often you drive and how far you go as that will also put energy back into your batteries.

Our previous camper had 2 x 95ah lead batteries (not gel) and a 60w solar panel and it never caused us any issues with low power going away for 45 days at a time and wild camping for the whole period but we did tend to move on nearly every day. Prior to that our camper had a 75w panel on and 2 x 110ah lead batteries which also didn't cause any problems. So, as long as you haven't got an 'electric only' fridge you could be fine with your existing set-up.

 

[Abacist]

Just another thought!

Is your charger man enough to charge up 2 110 Amp gel batteries?